Volume 2, Issue 6
September 19, 2002
Beyond Success Newsletter
Where Vision Meets Belief
by Trish Pratt
What beliefs do you hold to be true? What beliefs are providing the foundation for your decisions - not only the day-to-day decisions, but also larger ones that affect the success of your business, career and life? We all have them. They are our truths that we use to guide us.
Where do these beliefs come from? We pick them up along the course of our life - especially during our childhood years. So often I hear from clients
- "My father taught me that nothing comes easily.",
- "Money doesn't bring happiness.", or
- "My family always believed you can't trust anyone."
As we go through our lives looking for the rules that make sense, we seek out the truth. We willingly consider bits of wisdom that those more experienced pass on to us, and if they seem right (or are said convincingly enough), we take them on as our own.
Once we've begun to accept a belief, we look to see where it can be validated. And considering the belief "seek and ye shall find.", this is exactly what happens. Consider the time you bought a new car (suit, shoes, etc.) and noted that you hadn't seen many of this particular style or type before. You make the purchase and to your surprise, the next day you notice twenty of them! Our belief system works in a similar way. When we take on a belief as the truth, we often find validation for that belief all around us.
You may not be consciously aware of all the beliefs that you subscribe to. In fact, they may be so much a part of you that they feel like truths that are not to be questioned. These beliefs often comprise a significant piece of the framework for how you live your life, how you relate to others, and your outlook on the possibilities for your future. Considering the enormous impact your beliefs have, wouldn't it be good to notice when you are taking on a "truth" that has you focusing on what you don't want in your life? These "set-up" beliefs, as I call them, can sabotage your success and undermine your vision of what would truly bring you joy.
And so, what are YOUR beliefs and are they undermining your vision? If you have a business vision that has you doubling your revenue or income this year, but you are moving through your life with the belief that "all good things take time" or "success only comes with hard work and perseverance," you may well be working against yourself. If you believe "If I want to grow in my business, I have to sacrifice some of my personal time," how is that supporting you in managing your business with ease or delegating your time? What are you creating for yourself?
Increasing your awareness of your beliefs can offer you powerful insight into your life and to a place where perhaps the first step to change can begin for you.
Steps To Increasing Your Awareness Of Your Beliefs
- Notice where you stop short in heading toward your vision.
- Ask yourself: What beliefs do I have about my success here? Who will I become if I achieve this success? How will my life (business, relationships, etc.) be affected by this?
- Assess for yourself where you picked up this belief. Was it a "hand-me-down" from a family member or close friend?
- Notice how often these "set-up" beliefs enter your thoughts. This isn't always easy at first, but you can increase your awareness as you practice checking in with yourself on these.
- What beliefs would I like to hold onto about success? About money? About having it all? About working with others? Examples: Money comes easily to me; My success encourages others to succeed; I can succeed in business and have a wonderful personal life; I can create what I want; I deserve to be happy.
- Look for ways to embrace your desired beliefs.
Such as:
- make them a part of your vision,
- post an affirmation that you would like to take on in your office, desk drawer, on the dash board of your car, etc.,
- and lastly, associate with people who are supportive of you and have the positive beliefs you would like to take on. Success attracts success.
Beliefs are not always easy for us to see. If you know there's something stopping you, but can't quite put your finger on it, consider adding some focus to the question by taking me up on my complimentary coaching offer. I'd love to hear from you!
Wishing you success and fulfillment,
- Trish
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About Trish
Trish Pratt is a professional certified coach and consultant. She is also a certified PaperRoom coach trained in pattern recognition (see www.momentumcoaching.com/paperroom.html for more details). Trish helps managers and other professionals bring their best clarity, communication and leadership to their work. She does this with one-on-one coaching, training/workshops, and through articles she writes. Contact Trish today for a complimentary consultation at: 978-635-0603 or via email at: trish@momentumcoaching.com.
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